LG's Wear OS Smartwatch Could Arrive Soon

LG might be one of the first companies out of the gate to help Google build out its rebranded Wear OS wearable operating system.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently published an LG smartwatch filing that discusses a new device that would ostensibly run on Wear OS, according to Engadget, which earlier reported on the filing. While the filing doesn't provide concrete details on everything LG might have planned, it does feature a schematic that describes how the smartwatch's software might work.

Arguably the most interesting revelation from the schematic is that LG and Google have revamped the look and feel of the operating system. Instead of a standard, grid-like app layout, it appears that the smartwatch will have a wheel-like design that will allow you to quickly move between apps and services. Choosing one of those options in the wheel will dig down into an app that will give you more options.

According to the filing, there won't be any cellular connectivity in the smartwatch, so you'll need to connect to the Web via Wi-Fi in order to use the device. But exactly what it might look like and when it might launch are unknown.

That is, unless a report from Android Headlines in April was pointing to this device. That report suggested that LG would be launching a smartwatch soon that would rely on Wear OS and come with a hybrid design that would make it look like a traditional watch. In fact, the report suggests that after the smartwatch runs out of battery life, it'll still be able to just show the time for up to 100 hours.

(Image credit: FCC)

According to that report, the smartwatch in question would come with a 1.2-inch screen, but it wouldn't have cellular connectivity — the same detail we found in the FCC report. It also might nixNFC and GPS, however, and could run on the Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor that most will find underpowered in today's smartwatch world.

So, while there's a bit of give-and-take here, it appears LG is getting close to something. And perhaps the timing on all of this is important: Google is holding its annual I/O Conference keynote today (May 8). The company is expected to discuss software, of course, but might also announce new hardware. It's becoming increasingly possible that the LG Wear OS-based smartwatch tipped here could be one of those announcements.